Literary Terms (Part 2) Flashcards
when the narrator or a character in the story explicitly tells the readers what they need to know about a character
direct characterization
the formal name for a play
drama
an individual who changes, learns, and grows from his/her experience during the story
dynamic character
a poetic technique in which one line ends without a pause and must continue on to the next line to complete its meaning
enjambment
a long narrative poem written in elevated style that presents the adventures of characters of high position and episodes that are important to the history of a race or nation
epic
a sudden perception or moment of understanding that causes a character to change or act in a certain way
epiphany
the opening part of the plot that introduces the setting, characters, and conflict
exposition
a stuggle or problem originating outside a character, i.e. person vs. person, person vs nature, or person vs society
external conflict
a brief story that embodies a moral, often using animals as characters
fable
stories that include characters, settings, and/or events that were created in the imagination of the writer… if any of these three is invented, the entire story is deemed fiction.
fiction
language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)
figurative language
a story told from the perspective of someone in the story using pronouns “I”, “me”, “my”, etc.
first-person point of view
the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative
flashback
a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story
flat character
a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight various features of characters’ personalities, throwing these characteristics into stark focus
foil
hints or clues about what may happen later in the plot… this can be suggested through symbolism, dialogue, imagery, or other literary devices
foreshadowing
poetry with no fixed meter or rhyme scheme
free verse
a major category of type of literature
genre
excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of tragedy
hubris
intentional exaggeration to create an effect
hyperbole
an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression
idiom
the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses
imagery
when readers indirectly learn about a character through thoughts, comments, or actions of the characters
indirect characterization
a conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence
inference
